


Hidden Patterns

by RazorWireShrine



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, wooo tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-17 00:02:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14821433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RazorWireShrine/pseuds/RazorWireShrine
Summary: The lieutenant looked at him skeptically. “What like a tramp stamp? Why do you want to get one then?”





	Hidden Patterns

**Author's Note:**

> Another request from my tumblr! If you guys want to request something, my submission boxes are open @renderingpleasewait
> 
> Enjoy and as always, leave a comment to tell me what you think :)

“Hank, I would like a tattoo.”

Pausing from his work, he looked up and gave Connor a look. “A tattoo? Can you even get one?”

The android smiled pleasantly. “Actually yes, there are actually quite a few shops that specialize in android tattoos. Humans would often like to customize their androids, mark them as ‘theirs’ in a sense.”

The lieutenant looked at him skeptically. “What like a tramp stamp? Why do you want to get one then?”

His partner's head tilted to the side. “While I am unfamiliar with a 'tramp stamp’ as you put it, the same principle applies to me. Well, in a different way. I want to make my body my own.”

Hank nodded his head up and down. “I can definitely see that, makes sense after all.” He typed for a few seconds at his terminal before he turned to his partner again. “What kind of tattoo are you going to get?”

A look of confusion, maybe contemplation passed over the robot’s features. “I am unsure of what I will get at this point. I was hoping to explore the shop and see what possible selections they have. I received a great recommendation with high reviews from one of the other android officers.”

“Just don't get something just because you want it, you won't be able to get rid of it later. Take a little bit and talk with one of the artists to see what they think.” The gentle thrumming of Hank typing on the holo-keyboard resumed.

“Your advice is appreciated Lieutenant. Do you have any tattoos?”

Hank froze and Connor felt like he had touched on a sore subject. Opening his mouth to speak, he was interrupted before he could say anything. “Yes. I have two.” His lips turned into a rueful smile. “One is the department insignia when I first became an officer.” He made a wet sound in the back if his throat. “And one for.. For Cole.”

Definitely a sore subject then, but the Android’s curiosity couldn't be stemmed. Reverently he whispered, “May I see them?”

A heavy breath left the grizzled officer. Rolling up his right shirt sleeve, Connor saw the symbol emblazoned in black into the medial deltoid. The fabric fell back over it moments later. Working his jaw he grumbled, “I'll show you the other one maybe some other time. Not here in the middle of the office.” He didn't meet Connor's eyes, but his partner nodded at him anyways.

“I understand lieutenant. Thank you for showing me the other one.” With a gruff jerk of his head, Hank settled back into his work and a somber atmosphere settled over their desks.

**

The cold winter had finally given way to spring. No clouds were present in the sky and a gentle breeze ruffled through Connor's synthetic hair. Lately, the deviant detective had taken to walking most places. He appreciated the opportunity to view the city when he could. Tensions between androids and humans were still present, but they were getting better with each passing day.

A couple brushed passed him, heads bent together as they whispered to each other. One of them, he noticed, was an android as she let out a soft giggle and leaned into the human holding her hand. It made him pause, he only really had a relationship with the lieutenant since the revolution had ended. A few of his co-workers, synthetic and human alike were friendly with him. There was nothing more than that though, and he wondered if he was doing something wrong.

He hadn't even thought a romantic relationship between the two was possible. Yes, the humans were beginning to view them as more than just machines ready to take orders, but something like this was surprising. Shaking his head he thought to himself, 'maybe they're more than I thought.’

Pushing the couple out of his mind, he kept walking into a more industrial part of the city. The noise level rose as pedestrians were out and about, ordering food from stands and the rustle of shopping bags brushing against their legs as they walked. A young girl with her mother spotted him and smiled, waving at him. Connor let a tentative hand raise and gave a shy smile back, growing wider as the little girl giggled. Yes it seems, they were finally starting to all get along.

The tattoo shop was tucked into a small corner between two other businesses. A nondescript sign swung in front of it reading Voltage Ink in bright blue letters. A smaller sign hung beneath it “Android specialist. Walk-ins welcome.”

The door chimed as it opened, an old fashioned bell ringing from the frame. The lobby was small, navy blue couches ringed around half of the perimeter. Small side tables were placed in between a few, binders stacked on top with what Connor assumed were tattoo selections. No one was present at the front desk, black curtains hung in front of a hallway to the side, most likely leading to the back. Opting to sit down and wait, he picked up one of the binders and began to flip through the pages.

The designs he found were simple yet elegant, definitely taking a minimalist approach. Whoever created these were very skilled. Able to capture beauty in a small number of looping lines.

Movement sounded from the hallway and the binder make a soft clack as it was placed back on the table. The curtains opened to reveal a thin android woman, smiling warmly as she stepped behind the desk. “Hello, my name is Grace, I am an artist here at Voltage. Would you like to make an appointment?”

“Yes, are there any openings for this afternoon?”

Her LED blinked a couple of times, “Yes, we have no other appointments today. Do you have a tattoo in mind?”

“I was wondering if you could help me with that. I would like one to express my identity.”

Her eyes were bright as her smile widened, “Of course, what is your name and model?”

“I am Connor, an RK800 prototype, do you need to know my serial number as well?”

Her pale face was washed in blue from the computer in front of her as she typed. “That won't be necessary. However, I'm afraid that your model is too advanced for me to interface with. If you would wait a moment, I will go grab the head artist.” She disappeared behind the curtain again and another woman walked out shortly after.

She was, for lack of a better word, beautiful. Her face glowed with a certain happiness. Smile lines had begun to form around her eyes, which glimmered in the soft lighting of the lobby. She walked with a confidence in herself, her shoulders tall and her arms loosely swinging at her sides.

“Hello Connor, my name is y/n, I am the head artist here. I heard you were looking to get a tattoo?” Her easy demeanor had Connor relaxing from a tension he didn't know he had.

“That is correct. I received a recommendation for this place from a co-worker of mine. I hear you are the most trustworthy among androids.”

A blush crossed her face and she turned her gaze to the floor. “That's very good to hear, I've always tried to treat you all as equals and I'm glad it's paying off.” Connor couldn't help but return her small smile.

“I have a few documents for you to sign, if only for my piece of mind, are you familiar with how this procedure works?”

“Not quite, I know that the artist must interface with the client during the drawing.”

Y/n nodded. “Yes, your skin appears as a type of projection. It can be put on and removed willingly as you know. Damage to the surface sensors can also result in permanent malfunction for that area. Normal tattoos work by needles pushing ink particles under the skin that are too large to be broken down by the body. Which is why they are permanent unless a client undergoes lazer removal. Since you don't have skin per say, it's not possible to do it that way. Any android artist will open up your programming matrix for your skin. I will connect you to a tablet where I draw the tattoo, and it runs as a program that appears with your skin.” She held out a tablet. “This goes into full detail of what programs I will be able to view, access, and edit. Please read through the entire thing and sign at the bottom before we get started.”

The wavers were definitely thorough, if nothing else. Detailed and filled with coding jargon he was surprised she knew. His finger traced the print of his name at the bottom line. “If I may ask, where did you learn how to do all this?”

With the tablet given back and placed onto the desk she said, “Not at all, I originally went to school to learn coding and system calibration and repair for androids. I even got a very nice job at Cyberlife.” A frown passed over her and her shoulders stiffened. “I just couldn’t separate myself and maintain a strictly clinical exterior. I repaired so many of you from damage I didn't even think one could inflict. So I left. I always had a passion for art as a kid, and I knew the owner of this place.” She turned and beckoned him with a hand, “Down this hallway, and we can begin.”

Four small rooms with padded tables, a fifth door with the words 'Employees Only’ written in blue at the end. Y/n led you to the second door to the right, closing the door and sitting down in a wheeled chair beside the table. “Please, have a seat.”

The synthetic leather squeaked, and Connor's hands plucked at a few unraveling pieces. She plucked up a different tablet and held it in her lap. “Grace told me that you didn't have an idea for exactly what you wanted yet. Why don't you tell me about yourself and I can sketch out a few ideas.”

“I work at the police station as a detective and a negotiator. My previous directive was to assist law enforcement in hunting down deviants. After the events in November, I am now partnered with a Lieutenant and go on cases with him.”

“Is there anything that interests you more than others?”

“I find I am attracted to abstract ideals more than anything. I do not get out very much.”

A hearty laugh left her, head tipped slightly back. “Me too Connor, me too. Alright so I have a couple ideas in mind,” she turned the tablet towards you, “what do you think?”

They were all gorgeous, the same swooping lines featured in the other tattoos were present in the ones displayed. However, one caught his eye in particular. In small, neat numbers, the word 'alive’ was written out in binary code. “How about this one?” His finger stretched out to the screen.

“Of course! Where would you like it?”

“On my wrist would be substantial.”

An eyebrow raised, “Just substantial? I can edit where it appears after but it's a tedious process.”

He inclined his head. “Yes, it is alright there.”

Her eyes narrowed momentarily. “Alright Connor, I'll take my jacket off and start editing, hold on a second.”

It felt like his system went on pause for a moment. Y/n was decorated with intricate tattoos. Symbols he didn't quite know the meaning of danced down her arms, ending right before her hand. He saw hints of them flow into her back and chest behind a loose fabric tank top. He tried burning them into his mind so he could look into their meanings later, and it seemed that he was more obvious than he thought when her throat cleared. “Do you like them?”

“I find they are very pleasing to behold. What is their meaning?”

“Our world is so cluttered now. Us humans aren't advanced in the ways that count sometimes. Yes, we have all this technology that we've created around us, but we're still trying to grasp at what we are. We spend so much time connected to other things that we often forget to connect to ourselves.” A shoulder lifted in an easy shrug. “My tattoos are the way that I make up for that. To the past, present, and the future.”

An exhale left Connor's lips, “They're amazing.”

You looked down and fiddled with the tablet, “Thank you,” picking up a stylus you smiled, “Let's get this tattoo on you then shall we?”


End file.
